


Captain Reynolds and the Last Earthling

by anyjay



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-16
Updated: 2014-09-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 14:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2313062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anyjay/pseuds/anyjay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Xander really can't go home again.</p>
<p>(Re-posted from my Live Journal -- originally posted March 29, 2009)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captain Reynolds and the Last Earthling

Mal enjoyed the feel of Xander in his arms. Building up speed, they spun on, even after the music ended. Xander laughed aloud, and Mal felt a moment of triumph. They’d succeeded in making Xander forget his troubles, at least for now. The rest of the crew cheered and clapped until he and Xander eventually slowed to a halt. Xander turned quickly away to accept the beer Wash offered him, but his eyes smiled at Mal as he drank.

Mal tried not to read too much into it. With four women and six men, folks had to be a might flexible when they all danced. Xander partnered everyone – even Wash when Zoe took a turn with Shepherd Book. But he’d danced with Mal near as often as he’d danced with Kaylee, and more than any of the others. Not that Mal was keeping a tally, precisely.

But there was a time for play, a time for work and a time for sleep so as not to be overly stupid in the morning. Mal clapped his hands together. “This has been a right nice little shindig, but we’d all best turn in. We’ve got crime to do bright and early.”

“Best un-farewell party ever,” Xander said. “Thanks, guys.”

“We’re all glad you’re back,” Inara said. “We missed you.”

“Magic lessons start again tomorrow,” River said.

“Not until after crime,” Mal said firmly. “Could be true you’re the most powerful witch since Xander’s other friend, but it’s crime buys the fuel that keeps this boat in the sky.”

“Aye, aye, mon capitaine,” Xander said, with a mock salute. “But after crime, River, I think you should work on that living flame spell.” He gave Mal a mischievous sidelong glance.

“I truly hope I do not have to remind you—” Mal began, but River and Xander cut him off.

“No conjuring fire on your boat,” they said in unison. River stuck out her tongue at Mal, and ran off to her bunk.

“That’s my sister,” Simon said with a laugh in his voice. “She didn’t have so much as a headache while you were on Persephone, Xander. She can use her powers so well now. The day she accidentally called you here was the luckiest day of our lives. I never expected to have my sister whole again. We owe you a lot.”

“Yeah, well, governments messing with weird occult stuff they know nothing about? Never good. But you don’t owe me a thing.” Xander brought a hand up to where his eye patch used to be. “You made me depth-perception-guy again. As soon as I get a hamster, I am so naming it after you.”

“Thank you,” said Simon. “Really. They told me the life of a medical doctor was rewarding. They just didn’t specify the nature of the rewards.”

“Hey, Mal,” Kaylee said. “Could we get a hamster? Or two?”

“Hamsters are just fancified gorram rats,” Jayne said.

“Well then, how about a bunny?” she said.

“Bunnies,” Xander said in a strange voice.

“You okay?” Wash asked him.

“Yeah, sure,” Xander said. Mal gave Xander credit for trying. The smile almost reached his eyes. “It’s just, I did the whole ‘you can’t go home again’ thing once already. Anya died. Sunnydale cratered. I moved to England, became a watcher. I denied. I was angry. I bargained. I was so very, very depressed. Eventually I even kind of accepted. At any rate, I came out and moved on. But this? This is on a scale I just can’t get my head around. It’s not just that the people I built my entire life around are dead. It’s that I’m the only one who remembers them. Hell, I’m the only one who really remembers Earth.”

Xander snorted. “When I think of all the girls in Sunnydale who said ‘not even if you were the last man on earth,” and here I am, the last man from earth. The last Earthling.”

“Could be your friends will find you yet,” Zoe said.

Xander shook his head. “No. All that planet hopping might have confused Willow’s locator spell, but if she didn’t find me after a month of sitting in one place, it’s done. I’m beyond her reach. Thank God you guys came back for me. Not that I didn’t appreciate your friends letting me stay at the abbey,” Xander added hastily to Shepherd Book.

“Not everyone is cut out for a cloistered life,” Book said. “But they were glad to have you. I hear you undertook a considerable number of repairs.”

“It gave me something to do,” Xander said. “I have to do something to take my mind off, you know,” Xander gave another smile that didn’t fool anyone, “things.” Xander looked over at Mal, and for a moment Mal thought he would say more. But Xander just grabbed another beer from the table, and wandered off towards his own bunk.

 

\--

 

Mal woke with a start and the feeling he was not alone. He started to reach for his gun, then realized it was Xander standing next to his bed.

“Gwai-gwai long duh dong! What are you doing?” he said.

Xander didn’t answer right at first. Well, in truth, he didn’t answer at all, because what he said was “Do you ever get lonely, Mal?”

Mal glared at Xander. “Are you a gorram lunatic? I have a ship packed full of folks nattering at me all day and then waking me up at night to ask all manner of fool questions.”

Xander gave Mal a quizzical look. “Yeah, but do you ever get lonely, Mal?”

Mal sighed. “Course I do.” It appeared this was going to be a conversation. He pushed up into a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Xander took a deep breath, and looked away. “You know you’re dreaming, don’t you, Mal? So if I tell you something, and you don’t like it, it won’t matter in the morning.”

“Might matter to me. It’s my dream.” Mal hoped he’d caught Xander’s drift. “Speak your piece.”

Xander nodded. “I have this, uh, thing for people who take charge. Buffy, Cordelia and Anya? Three of the bossiest women on the planet. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I became hot for Giles when he was head of the council. I might go for Zoe, if she weren’t married to Wash, but probably not. She may be Riker, but you’re Picard.”

Mal reckoned from the way Xander said the word that ‘picard’ was a right good thing to be, but he didn’t ask.

“I can’t keep waiting for my old life to reclaim me.” Xander sat down on the bed. “Do you think you could ever – I mean, I’d really like it if – Oh, hell. Can I just kiss you, Mal?”

“Whoa,” Mal said. “Good dream.”

**Author's Note:**

> References  
> Gwai-gwai long duh dong: according to http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net/phrase2.html#g, this is an idiomatic exclamation for surprise. Literally it means something like ‘my obedient, well-behaved, darling [child]’ but is translated into English in the Firefly/Serenity-verse as ‘What the hell!’
> 
> The prompt  
> Male character (ONE) you want paired with Xander: Mal  
> Up to three things you want in your fic: magic, dancing, understanding  
> Up to two things you don't want: rape (magical or normal), cohersion  
> Preferred maximum rating: nc17  
> Does your request require comics canon? no  
> If not, are you open to having comics canon used in the story written  
> for you? No


End file.
